The Patriots have taken hold of the Boston sports landscape from the Red Sox, as the Patriots “simply awoke on the morning of Aug. 26 and the town was officially theirs,” according to Bob Ryan of the BOSTON GLOBE. As a result of the Red Sox-Dodgers trade on that date, there “had been a completely bloodless coup.” Some “might argue that they already had the town, and have had it for some time,” but now “there is no dispute.” Ryan wrote, “The Battle of Boston was now over. The New England Patriots have won. The Patriots rule. The Bruins, Celtics, and, yes, the Red Sox obey.” Ryan: “This is monumental. There is nothing comparable in American sport. Boston has been a certified Baseball Town since at least 1871, and perhaps even longer than that.” It turns out the Patriots “didn’t have to do anything but stand around and watch the Red Sox implode” (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/9). In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy wrote the Patriots are “the envy of just about every NFL organization, and best of all," they "are not the Red Sox.” Shaughnessy wrote, “Pause for a moment and try to imagine Jerod Mayo running upstairs at Gillette to tell Bob Kraft that [coach Bill] Belichick made a joke about Danny Woodhead’s height." Or perhaps Bob and Patriots President Jonathan Kraft taking a call from WR Brandon Lloyd’s cellphone and "agreeing to meet with a dozen Patriots who are unhappy with Belichick." Imagine Belichick "threatening to punch out Glenn Ordway.” Shaughnessy: “It’s nice to have them back on the field. It’s nice to watch a team fans can be proud of” (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/9).
FALL GUY: In Boston, John Tomase wrote those in the Red Sox organization who “care about narratives would like nothing more than to put the mess of the last year” on former Exec VP & GM Theo Epstein, as he is a “convenient scapegoat, since he’s no longer here.” If Red Sox Owner John Henry and Chair Tom Werner, as well as President & CEO Larry Lucchino “want to wash their hands of those decisions and pin them all on their former GM, that’s fine, but it’s also disingenuous” because Epstein “did not operate in a vacuum” (BOSTON HERALD, 9/9).